


the brightest star

by sanbeam



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Fluff, Ghost San, M/M, Sad, This One's Gonna Hurt, Woosan, a lil bit of woosang, brief mentions of how san died, i love ateez so much, it kinda made me cry, san is the cutest, wooyoung is a brave boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-06-25 21:57:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19754569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanbeam/pseuds/sanbeam
Summary: in which wooyoung, a comic artist who’s recently moved to seoul, falls for a ghost with unfinished business.





	the brightest star

**Author's Note:**

> hi there:) this is the first fic i’ve written in a long time so please be kind,, i love ghost fics and i feel like there really aren’t many in the ateez fandom just yet ;-; but be warned that there’s gonna be a fair bit of angst in this one! hope you enjoy reading it and please leave constructive criticism if you have any!! // i’ll be updating this on a somewhat irregular basis because of school:/ but stay tuned, i promise you’ll want to see how this story unfolds:”)

Wooyoung never liked dust. Minute particles of matter that floated around, tucking itself into corners and making your nose itch. It was almost invisible, but you _knew_ it was there - dust made its presence known. 

Wooyoung paused and placed the boxes he was carrying on the floor. He rubbed at his nose, sniffling into the thick wooly sweater he was wearing, before struggling to pick up his boxes again.

“Do you need help with those?”, Yeosang called from outside the fence where he’d parked his car, his voice muffled.

“I’m-,” Wooyoung’s voice escaped him in a huff as he hoisted his things up the stairs.

“I’m good, don’t worry,” he let out a sigh as he finally managed to shove his boxes into the dusty house, feeling hot all over even though it was almost the beginning of winter.

It was a particularly cold day, and Wooyoung figured it was because they were finally stepping into winter (incidentally his favourite season), so he couldn’t quite complain. Instead, he reveled in the feeling of cold air nipping at his cheeks, blowing at his hands to warm them.

Ahead, he caught sight of Yeosang’s messy brown hair peeking through the gaps of the wooden fence that surrounded the house. Despite the cold, sunlight was abundant, filtering through the leaves of the large tree that hung over the small garden in front of the house. Grinning, Wooyoung soaked in the sunlight and walked out again to help Yeosang carry the rest of his things in.

\-------

“I can’t believe you finally moved to the city after all these years, huh,” teased Yeosang.

They stood in the empty living room. Gentle sunlight poured through the long glass panels that had replaced one side of the wall, illuminating the room. Wooyoung felt as though he had put on a pair of rainbow glasses - suddenly, the world was that much brighter and more beautiful. There were brown boxes of varying sizes scattered all around - brown boxes that held most of the earthly possessions Wooyoung had ever owned in all his 21 years of life. 

Wooyoung could hardly believe that he’d made it. Ever since he was 5, he’d dreamt of coming to the city and becoming a manhwa artist, and now his dream was finally beginning to become reality. When he’d heard that a publishing company had finally gotten back to him with an offer to publish his first manhwa and another after that, he’d been elated. The first thing he did was to tell everyone. The second? To purchase a house in the city with the advance that he’d been given. 

He could finally call himself an artist at the ripe old age of 21, and he’d never been prouder. The expressions on his parents’ faces when they heard the news made all the sleepless nights that he’d spent slaving on his first work all worth it.

“Yeah, it’s crazy… Never thought I’d actually get here,” Wooyoung grinned brightly at his best friend.

Yeosang smiled back, “Well, let’s get going. I didn’t drive you all the way here for nothing. Lunch better be your treat!”

Wooyoung pouted at him in mock annoyance, finally relenting when Yeosang pouted back.

“Alright, I gotchu. Let’s get some fried chicken and beer to celebrate.”

Wooyoung moved to hug his best friend before heading out, but frowned as he caught sight of something moving behind Yeosang. Pausing with his arms on Yeosang’s shoulders, he glanced at the curtains behind Yeosang again. This time, however, all was still.

“What’s wrong?” asked Yeosang, confused as to why Wooyoung was frozen.

“Ah, nothing… Nothing. Just thought I saw something back there…”, replied Wooyoung distractedly.

_How strange… It must’ve been the wind?_

The feeling of Yeosang tugging on his wrist quickly brought Wooyoung out of his thoughts. 

“Let’s go already!” Yeosang whined, practically dragging Wooyoung out of the house.

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

Together, with only thoughts of chicken occupying their minds, the pair walked out of the house. 

\-------

By the time he returned, it was sunset. Wooyoung flopped down on the sofa in his thick hoodie and watched as a wash of golden light painted the spacious living room in streaks of fiery orange, reflecting off surfaces and turning the room into a molten gold. It had been cold outside, but somehow, Wooyoung didn’t feel quite so cold anymore. Despite the fact that he’d just sent his best friend off on a journey back to their hometown two hours away, his heart felt full as he thought of new beginnings. 

_To new experiences_ , thought Wooyoung, as he watched the sky change colours. Initially filled with shades of pink, orange and blue, the sky grew purple, and then a dark blue. Wooyoung kept his eyes on the sky, watching the stars slowly wink into existence one by one as night fell. 

Sometimes, Wooyoung liked to pretend that stars were the remnants of people’s loved ones that had passed on peacefully and were now watching over the ones they’d left behind, the ones that still walked on Earth. He believed that stars could hear the whispers and prayers of the living. He thought it was beautiful - the way stars shone the brightest when the night was at its darkest. 

_They’re there to guide us in our darkest hours._

The sofa was incredibly comfortable, and Wooyoung soon found himself exhausted from the excitement that had accompanied him throughout the day. The dust was tickling at his nose again, and he made a mental note to clean out the house first thing tomorrow morning.

As his eyelids began to shut, Wooyoung caught a glimpse of the shadow of a figure standing near the stairs behind the sofa. He sat up to take a closer look, but the figure was... gone. 

_I must be seeing things… Maybe it’s the exhaustion? I’m sure I’ll be fine after a good night’s rest._

Wooyoung rubbed hard at his eyes before settling back down on the sofa. He’d never noticed, but the sofa smelt faintly of lavender. It was comforting in an unexpected way. Before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi to me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/sanbeam_)!


End file.
